Valley Broadcast Legends
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Meetings: 2nd Tuesday even numbered months

Events:
   
2026: 10 Feb, 14 Apr, 9 Jun, 11 Aug, 13 Oct, 8 Dec
  
 
Our venue is The Old Spaghetti Factory 12401 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova, in the Nimbus Winery Mall.
Doors open at NOON. Lunch is served at 12:30.
  

 

  
10 February: Covering the Flood of 1986
  
     

Dann Shively
&
Tom DuHain

For many of us working in the broadcast news industry, the flood of February 1986 remains the biggest local story of our careers. As we reach the 40th anniversary of that disaster, this will be the theme of the February 10 VBL luncheon.

Dann Shively, the first of two program presenters at our upcoming meeting, was the anchor of KCRA’s morning newscast in February 1986, as well as the pilot/reporter in Live Copter Three. His normal schedule was a split shift, anchoring in the morning, and flying during the 5:00 p.m. news, and other times during the day as needed. But during the floods, Dann was off the anchor desk, providing aerial perspectives of the disaster during many long days.

Joining Dann will be retired KCRA newscaster Tom DuHain. Tom started his career at Channel 3 in 1969 as a weather forecaster and went on to have a long and distinguished career at KCRA. He was inducted into the Silver Circle of the NATAS NorCal chapter upon his retirement in 2015.

There will undoubtedly be an opportunity for fellow Legends to share their memories of covering the flood of 1986.

The flooding caused major damage to homes and businesses, but it also jeopardized the ability to get out critical information via radio and TV. A levee failed and floodwaters came dangerously close to the KCRA tower in Walnut Grove, threatening to knock the station off the air. KFBK’s studio on Ethan Way near Cal Expo became an island, completely surrounded by water but still managing to stay on the air. Remember, in 1986, they were just starting to wire Sacramento for cable TV. There were no online news sources. Sacramento residents were completely dependent on over-the-air broadcast signals for vital information in the event of an emergency. The need to keep the stations on the air was crucial.

 

 

last edited
4 Feb. 2026
--Copy Joyce Kreig